04/08/2017 - LiDAR and power unit to be deployed at Chouet

4 Aug 2017
As part of its continuing investigation into the local wind resource, the States of Guernsey Renewable Energy Team (RET) are deploying a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) unit at Chouet Headland in the compound alongside the existing anemometer, which has been monitoring wind speed since 2012.

The new unit will allow wind speeds to be measured at a number of heights above the ground, as opposed to the single (10m) height that the existing anemometer measures. The unit does this through remote sensing – sending out a beam of light and measuring the frequency shift of the backscattered light – and the unit is less than 1m tall.

The location of the anemometer, next to the LiDAR unit, will provide a control point which can be used to extrapolate the new data to previous years records.

The LiDAR and power system will be on site for a period of 2 years. A temporary planning permission has been sought and granted. The system will be deployed on Monday 7th August.

The LiDAR will be used to remotely monitor at 5 different heights:

· 10 m – to match the anemometer

. 20.5 m – a control height from the manufacturer

. 54m and 80m – control heights from the supplier and minimum expected height range of potential offshore wind turbines

It is important to note that this is not preliminary research for a land based wind turbine but is the most practical and cost effective way to get reliable recordings of the wind resource on a coastal site.

The unit will be deployed by Exeter University, following a student project to design and build a renewable energy and battery storage power system for the LiDAR. This system will supply 100% of the power requirements of the LiDAR and so the unit shall be completely “off grid”.

The power system comprises a 600W wind turbine on a 6m mast (6.9m to turbine tip), a 900W PV Array (3 panels) and a 10kWh battery system. There is also a warning system built into the design which will inform RET of any potential failures.

The students who have designed the system will be undertaking the installation, and will be support by Guernsey Electricity to ensure that the electrical components are installed correctly and safely. Guernsey Electricity will provide support to maintain the system over the 2 year deployment.

The Renewable Energy Team has secured the LiDAR on a 2 year rental agreement from NEL (TUV SUD Ltd) – a flow measurement specialist – through contacts within Exeter University. NEL will also provide technical support for the LiDAR, and through them the manufacturer, Zephir, is continuing to support the LiDAR.

The States of Guernsey Renewable Energy Team have been continuing to progress the recommendations from the Wind Feasibility report released in May, and this includes the addition of remote sensing equipment at Chouet headland alongside the existing wind monitor.

18/05/2017 - RET Publish Offshore Wind Feasibility Report

18 May 2017

A preliminary feasibility study has concluded that offshore wind technology could be viable in several locations off Guernsey’s coast.

The study was carried out by Xodus Group, an engineering consultancy with experience in the oil and gas, utilities and renewable industries, and funded jointly by the States of Guernsey and Guernsey Electricity. It concluded that there are a range of technically feasible options to develop an offshore wind project off Guernsey. Other findings included:

Developing a modest project, of the order 30MW, will achieve the fundamental objective of an independent supply of electricity together with the benefits associated with energy diversification namely: security; price certainty; sustainability and lower carbon.

The cost is higher than current French importation and on-island generation

To mitigate the higher cost it is recommend that the majority of the project is funded by the States of Guernsey to secure the lowest cost of finance.

At this early stage of analysis the preferred site is far offshore towards the 12nm boundary. This location is in relatively deep water and most suited to the new floating wind turbine structures.

The lowest cost site is likely to be in the shallow waters off the north coast (or any coastal site). However, this near shore location may have visual and other human impact.

Consideration should be given to pursuing an extended wave and wind data gathering programme that could be relatively low cost but high value for the future.

The States of Guernsey Renewable Energy Team have been progressing the recommendations following receipt of the report, including the addition of remote sensing equipment at Chouet headland alongside the existing wind monitor.

The Renewable Energy team will seek to continue to progress its work in this area, before discussing the viability of such a project with the Committee for the Environment & Infrastructure in due course.

Deputy Shane Langlois, member of the Committee for the Environment & Infrastructure, said:

‘A 30MW offshore wind farm has the potential to generate around one third of Guernsey’s current electricity requirements. While the cost of electricity generated by wind turbines would, at the moment, be more expensive than importing or on-island generation, it is clear that the gap between the two is narrowing and will likely continue to do so as the technology further evolves. Indeed recent tenders in northern Europe have been at very competitive prices. The Committee welcomes the findings of this study and, while not without risk, believes there are significant opportunities in progressing this work, such as security of supply, energy independence, fixed prices and lower emissions.’

Peter Barnes, Lead Officer for the Renewable Energy Team, said:

‘Wind technology is continuing to mature and will offer increased levels of security and independence of supply. Guernsey is well positioned to benefit from those developments and the Renewable Energy Team will continue working closely with Guernsey Electricity to further develop the potential opportunities identified.’

Stuart Blondel, Head of Assets at Guernsey Electricity, said:

‘Guernsey Electricity continues to monitor and assess all forms of renewable energy and energy storage technologies. Our strategic planning takes account of the island’s aspirations for energy diversification and security at an affordable price. We believe community based macro scale renewable generation as identified in this study combined with suitable means of energy storage will be a commercially viable option within the 2020s and, combined with careful management of energy demand and other forms of embedded energy harnessing, the island will achieve its aims for a sustainable future’

The full study can be downloaded from our documents page.

01/04/17 - RET releases 2017 strategy and review of 2016

1 Apr 2017
The Renewable Energy Team have now published their strategy for 2017 (and beyond) along with a review of the year 2016.

As in previous years the strategy can be downloaded in 2 forms - a 4 page summary and a detailed 25 page document. The Strategy is reviewed and updated annually and as part of the review a document outlining the work from the previous year is formed.

01/08/2016 - Congratulations to Bouke Wiersma on completion of his Public Engagement PhD in Guernsey

1 Aug 2016

Bouke Wiersma has completed his PhD into public opinions towards renewable energy in Guernsey. He used Guernsey as an example of island territories and Guernsey’s renewable energy team has been working closely with him since the start of his PhD 3 and a half years ago.

The study was broken down into 3 data gathering studies, the results of which are available from our documents page, using a variety of traditional and novel sampling methods. The work has been and will continue to be used to inform RET’s strategy going forward.

Bouke successfully defended his viva in February and has now completed the write up of his thesis. Bouke will be sending copies of the thesis to the people who have been both directly involved in the research (participants) and those who have been of significant help to the thesis more generally. The Thesis is also available to download from the University of Exeter website via the following link - https://ore.exeter.ac.uk/repository/handle/10871/21565.

RET would like to thank Bouke for the work he has done and working so closely with us to get the best research for Guernsey as well as for his PhD. Also many thanks to his PhD supervisor Professor Patrick Devine-Wright who has been very willing to provide his time and expertise as part of the PhD.

Many congratulations again to Bouke for the completion of his PhD, and for all the hard work he has put in.

21/07/2016 - Working with Universities – Update

21 Jul 2016
RET have continued to work closely with Universities over the past year, with a number of student projects either underway or recently completed with the University of Exeter, Cranfield University, Plymouth University and the Ecole Polytechnique in Paris.

RET are keen to continue and further these links and are always keen to engage with students on projects relating to Guernsey. RET are already considering projects for the next academic year so please get in contact (enquiries@guernseyrenewableenergy.com ) if you have an interest in undertaking a project with us.

For information on previous work with Universities please visit our “Working with Universities” page, where you can find previously completed projects, including the latest offshore wind project undertaken with University of Exeter Student Thomas Newitt.